Fixer Uppers
by The Bad Wolf Who Waited
Summary: Before Kristoff makes the decision to sneak in or leave before he's seen, Sven continues to follow the horses and the gates shut behind them. - What if, on the night everything changed, a young ice cutter and his reindeer found their way into the palace? What if Kristoff grew up with a lonely princess? (Little and then big Kristanna. K for now, though rating may change.)
1. Chapter 1

**So this is my first ever Frozen fic... I'm sorry for the terrible boredom this first chapter induces, I just wanted to establish my storyline! I promise I have good ideas for where this is going! Please bear with me if you can stand it...**

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Frozen or its characters.**_

* * *

The night air is cold around him as he hides himself behind a small rock, Sven following his lead. He peeks over the top and sees the King and Queen and their two daughters, one of which, the younger one, looks like she's asleep. Or at least, he hopes she's only asleep. She is cradled in the Queen's arms. By the worried faces of the family, Kristoff knows there is something wrong.

Between trying to keep himself and Sven hidden and not being very close to the conversation being had, he can only hear snippets of what is being said.

"Born with the powers or cursed?" the troll asks the King, holding the older princess's hand.

"Born," the King explains. "And they're getting stronger." _So, powers?_ Kristoff thinks. _She can control the ice? Create it?_ The thought fascinates him.

"You are lucky it was not the heart," the troll says, moving closer to the small princess held by the Queen. "The heart is not so easily changed, but the head can be persuaded." He somehow conjures up images, which float in midair, of the two princesses playing in the snow, as he explains that he will remove all traces of magic from the girl's mind. This will include her memories of her sister's magic. He brings his hands closer to the young princess's head, and his images condense to a glow that disappears into her. The older sister looks upset and says something Kristoff can't quite make out, so he leans closer.

It's difficult, through the distance and the thumping of his heart, but he hears the princess being told that her powers will grow stronger, more beautiful. Then the troll's tone changes.

"Fear will be your enemy," he warns the princess. His floating images change from depictions of delicate blue snowflakes to angry red figures. She gasps, stepping back from him. Kristoff frowns slightly. It isn't really necessary to frighten the poor girl at such a time.

She is told she must learn to control her powers. The King says she will learn, but promises also to keep her locked away in the castle, her powers hidden from all those around her. After making this promise, he mounts his horse, his daughter sitting in front of him. The Queen mounts hers also, the now-healed princess still sleeping in her arms.

"Duck!" Kristoff whispers, putting a hand on Sven's back and pushing him down. The royal family rides past on their horses. A new trail of ice begins behind one of the horses, following as they ride, so Kristoff hops on Sven.

"C'mon, Sven, let's go!"

They follow the ice trail, slipping in places, but remaining unnoticed by the others. It's a long journey, but Kristoff wants desperately to find out how this is even possible; the magic, moving ice.

He rides Sven all the way back to the palace gates. Before he makes the decision to sneak in or leave before he's seen, Sven continues to follow the horses and the gates shut behind them. Kristoff quickly directs him to a crate for them to hide behind.

"What were you thinking?" he hisses at Sven. "The palace? How are we going to get out?" He's never seen the palace before, but he's too preoccupied with staying hidden to admire it properly. "We can't escape until at least the morning, and even then I don't know how we're going to do it." He pauses to sigh. "So where are we going to sleep? Because we can't sleep out here in the open or someone will find us."

Kristoff looks around them for anywhere to sleep that provides some cover from prying eyes. There are guards and servants all over the place, probably because all the rulers of Arendelle had rushed out in the middle of the night. He sees one of them returning the horses to their stable, about ten metres away.

"That's it! The stable, we've got to go there," he says to Sven. He waits a moment until the servant moves away and then motions for Sven to follow him. They creep across the concrete, hiding behind each box and cart they come across on the way, until they reach the stable. Kristoff has to jump to reach the handles. Thankfully, the only thing locking the stable is a sliding bolt on the outside. After a few jumps he shimmies it open and the two tiptoe inside.

One of the horses neighs loudly as they approach it, catching the attention of one of the servants outside. Kristoff jumps behind a hay bale as he hears the footsteps approaching, and Sven jumps into the hay itself. A moment later the door opens a crack and a man looks in. He glances around at the horses but sees nothing out of place.

"I could have sworn I locked this," he says, confused. He sighs and leaves, closing the door behind him. When Kristoff hears the bolt sliding back into place, he lets out a deep breath he hadn't realised he was holding. The noise of shuffling hay lets him know that Sven has also sat up.

"That was close," Kristoff whispers. He reaches out a hand to pet Sven on the snout. "Now I guess we make a plan in the morning." Sven nods, and Kristoff lies down in the hay on the floor. "Goodnight, then." He yawns, closes his eyes, and drifts off to sleep with his hand still on Sven.


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you so much for your positive feedback guys! I never expected so many people to follow/favourite! I decided to post this chapter early since you're all so sweet :3**

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Frozen or its characters. I do, however, own the original characters who appear in the story, and the plot.**_

* * *

"Well, we can't just leave him here in the stable."

"We were ordered not to open the gates!"

"His parents are probably looking for him by now, we have to let him out somehow!"

Kristoff wakes to unfamiliar voices arguing. He sits up and rubs his eyes, forgetting for a few moments where he is. The servants stop talking abruptly and look over at the young boy, who has hay sticking out of his hair and a pink nose from sleeping in the cold. When he opens his eyes, he sees them staring at him with sympathetic faces.

"Good morning," he says without thinking.

"Good morning to you," one of them, the man, replies. The woman kneels down in front of Kristoff and speaks in a soft voice.

"How did you get into the palace?"

"I followed the ice," he admits. _Princess Elsa's, no doubt_, the woman thinks.

"Am I in trouble?" Kristoff asks as an afterthought. The man opens his mouth to speak but the woman cuts him off.

"Of course not," she says, giving Kristoff a gentle smile. "But I think your mama and papa might be expecting you home. We can take you, if you like."

"I don't have a mama or a papa. It's just me and Sven." He pats Sven, who is still asleep, on the back. The two servants share a look, and the woman's smile falters ever so slightly.

"I'll tell them," the man says, before walking out the stable door. Kristoff turns to the woman.

"Tell who?"

"The King and Queen." She can't quite put her finger on why, but she finds herself becoming fond of the boy. She knows this information won't alarm him, though perhaps that's because he's still almost asleep.

"Oh," he says simply. "Are they going to give out to me?"

"No, no! You were just curious, that's all. We all have our moments." In reality, she doesn't know what their reaction will be, but she knows they wouldn't give out to the boy because he hasn't done anything wrong.

"That's good. I didn't mean to come into the palace. Sven made me," he tells her. She laughs lightly.

"So this is Sven?" she asks, looking at the small reindeer sprawled across a pile of hay.

"Yeah! We're best friends," Kristoff says. He grins; he's waking up a bit more now. "Oh, I'm Kristoff!" He holds out his hand and she shakes it.

"I'm Mandoline," she tells him.

"That's a nice name. It's pretty." Mandoline smiles again.

"Thank you."

They are both startled by Sven, who jumps up without warning. When he sees Mandoline he hides himself behind Kristoff, peeking his head out slightly.

"He can be shy sometimes," Kristoff says. He turns then to Sven and pats his head. "It's okay, she's nice!" Sven narrows his eyes at Mandoline, causing her to chuckle, and then warily walks towards her. She holds her hand out to him, and after a moment he nudges it with his nose. She pats him reassuringly and he goes to sit beside her.

"I think he likes you!" Kristoff says.

"I hope so," Mandoline replies.

The man from earlier walks back into the stable, and Mandoline turns around.

"We're to bring him upstairs," he tells her.

"What about Sven?" Kristoff asks, looking worriedly at his reindeer.

"I suppose he stays here," the man says. Kristoff frowns. "He'll be alright, I'm sure. I bet he's brave like you." The man smiles.

"He's _almost_ as brave as me," Kristoff replies. He stands up and points a finger at Sven. "Be good while I'm gone. No annoying the horses, and no stealing carrots." Sven nods, albeit disappointedly, and moves back to the hay to sit and wait. Kristoff looks back at the man, who motions for him to follow. He does so, and Mandoline walks beside him.

"Mister?" Kristoff asks as the man slides the bolt on the stable closed. "Who are we going to talk to?"

"We're going to the King and Queen. Well, you are. They'd like to talk to you." Kristoff feels his stomach clench into a knot. The man sees his expression change and adds, "they're not angry. They just want to know a bit more about you."

"Okay," Kristoff says in a small voice. Mandoline takes his hand as they walk and he holds it tightly.

When they reach the doors to the castle, Kristoff becomes even more nervous. They enter, and he gulps. It's not the building being so large that makes it intimidating, but its intricate designs and shiny surfaces. Everything is impeccably kept, and everything looks expensive. He has never been to a place like this before. He's almost scared that he'll dirty the carpets by walking on them with his boots.

He is led to a room upstairs. The man knocks on the door, and a voice tells them to enter. Mandoline opens the door and Kristoff walks in slowly, dragging her with him. The sight of the King and Queen of Arandelle standing in front of him makes him lose his train of thought, and not knowing what else to do, he simply bows to them. Mandoline curtsies as best she can with the boy's hand still grasping hers so tightly.

"Mandoline," the Queen acknowledges her with a small nod and a gentle smile. She turns her gaze to Kristoff, smile still in place. "Would you like to sit down?" He nods, and she gestures to a chair behind him. He sits down without letting go of Mandoline's hand.

"We've been told you don't have parents to go home to," the King says.

"That's right. I just have Sv- my reindeer, sir," Kristoff replies, his voice much quieter than he anticipated.

"A reindeer?" the Queen asks.

"Yes. He's in the stable. He's my best friend."

"Was he the one who brought you here?" Kristoff nods. "And you followed the ice, you said?" He nods again.

"The magic ice. That the princess made." The smile slips from the Queen's face and she looks at the King. They both look concerned.

"Did anybody else see the ice?" Kristoff shakes his head.

"Just me," he says quietly. _He knows_, the Queen thinks. _He knows he knows he knows he knows_ -

"Will anybody be looking for you?" she asks suddenly.

"No. The other ice cutters don't really talk to me," Kristoff says, somewhat sadly.

"Well, mister..." she begins, looking at him expectantly.

"Kristoff, your Highness," Mandoline says. The Queen smiles in response.

"Well, Kristoff, what would you say to staying here?" The King opens his mouth to say something but decides against it, instead settling for a silent, worried expression.

"In the palace?" Kristoff sounds as surprised as he feels. He asks the first question that pops into his mind. "Can Sven stay, too?" The Queen nods.

"If it means you will." Kristoff grins widely and turns to Mandoline.

"I'm going to live in a castle!" She smiles at him.

"Yes, you are!"

"But," the King interrupts, kneeling down so his eyes are at the same level as Kristoff's. "You must promise us something."

"Yes, your Majesty."

"You mustn't tell Anna about the magic ice, okay? She can't know that Elsa makes it." The King's voice is firm, but still kind. Kristoff remembers him telling the troll this. Something tells him he should keep that a secret; the fact that he saw them with the trolls.

"I promise," Kristoff says, with all the sincerity he can muster. The King smiles.

"Good. Then we'll see you soon," he replies, standing up again.

"Come on," Mandoline says quietly to Kristoff, squeezing his hand. He gets up off the chair and lets her lead him out of the room. She closes the door behind them. The man had waited outside, and Kristoff pulls at his sleeve excitedly.

"Mister, mister! I'm going to stay here!"

"Good for you! I'm sure we'll see you around," the man replies. He grins at him and then at Mandoline. "You can call me Nils, by the way."

"Oh, I'm going to have to learn people's names!" Kristoff says. "And which faces they go with, and which doors go where, and what's in which room, and - I have to tell Sven!" He begins to pull Mandoline towards the stairs with him before he stops suddenly.

"Mandoline? Am I going to meet the princesses?"

"Yes," she says. "I suppose you are."

* * *

**What do you think of my OCs? They will be appearing in the future, so I hope you like them...**


	3. Chapter 3

**Wow, you guys have broken my personal record of followers after just 2 chapters! I seriously love you all, thank you so much! Is this the part where I come clean about actually being a crap updater? I'm trying super hard for ye :) Next chapter shall be particularly interesting...**

**_Disclaimer: I do not own Frozen or its characters. I do, however, own all OCs who appear in this story, and the plot._**

* * *

Mandoline knocks gently on the door, and the King's voice tells her she may come in. She enters, closing the door behind her and curtsying as soon as her hands are free.

"Your Majesties," she says. "I have come to ask where I should set up lodgings for young Kristoff."

"Somewhere near Anna," the Queen replies thoughtfully. "I daresay she'll be wanting some company."

"The room next door to hers is unoccupied. Shall I prepare that one?"

"That should do nicely," the Queen says with a small smile. "Has he any possessions?"

"Naught but the clothes on his back and his reindeer."

"Then we should probably begin investing in more clothing and the like. We should get him measured. Where is he now?"

"He's in the stable, ma'am, with Sven." Mandoline internally smiles to herself as she says this. He had jumped on Sven as soon as they got down to the stable and opened the door, and started telling him about living in a palace with princesses.

"Ah. Well, bring him up. Show him around the castle, perhaps introduce him to Anna." Mandoline nods.

"I shall." Then she pauses. She knows the question to follow is not one she should be asking, but she can't help herself. She's so concerned for the poor girl. "Please forgive my forwardness, but how is Princess Elsa?" There is a mutual sigh from the King and Queen, and she almost regrets asking.

"Her - problems are getting worse," the King answers. "She... She's not permitted to leave her room. You may visit her, if she allows it, but do not tell Anna. Or the boy." Mandoline feels her throat tighten up. How long will the princess be in that room? She doesn't think she could take it if Elsa didn't allow her in sometimes. She was one of the only servants who knew about Elsa's powers, and she had been the first the King and Queen went to for help with looking after Elsa since she was but a newborn. Mandoline loved the princess dearly.

"I shall make sure the others do not find out," she says. "Thank you for your time." She curtsies again and leaves the room.

Mandoline walks straight back out to the stable to Kristoff. She finds him lying against Sven, his hair full of hay once more, talking about how clean the castle is. He grins as soon as he sees her.

"Mandoline! Am I going back to the castle again?"

"Only if you tidy your hair," she replies, feigning a stern air. He shakes his head and runs his fingers through his hair until the hay has fallen out, and then looks up at her again.

"Better?" he asks.

"Most definitely. Come on, then!" She holds her hand out to him, and he jumps up and takes it.

"Sven, same rules as last time," he says. "Actually, they'll just be the rules for the whole time we're here, okay?" Sven nods, and Kristoff begins to lead Mandoline out of the stable and across the grounds to the castle. Once they're in the entrance hall, he stops. "I don't know where to go now," he admits. Mandoline smiles.

"That's one of my jobs for now; to show you around," she tells him. "Where would you like me to start? The library, the ballroom, the kitchen..." Kristoff's face lights up.

"The kitchen, please!" Mandoline laughs.

"I thought you'd say that. It's this way," she says, leading him to the left.

"I love food. Food's great! I don't get much of it, though," he rambles. "It's hard to find when you're travelling around the place looking for ice."

"There'll be plenty here, but only at mealtimes. That means you can't go sneaking into the kitchen whenever you like!" Kristoff pouts.

"Am I going to have to sit at a proper table and eat with knives and forks?"

"I'm afraid so. And you'll probably be eating with Princess Anna, so you must behave properly," Mandoline says seriously. Truthfully, she has a hard time making the princess herself sit still and behave, but she may as well attempt to make one of them be polite.

"Is she the littler princess?" Kristoff asks.

"Yes, she is. Don't call her little, though, she doesn't like that. She says five is a right big age," Mandoline replies with a smile. As difficult as Anna is, she is always sweet, and she never fails to amuse everyone who works in the palace.

"We'll, I'm six, which is definitely a better age," Kristoff says smugly. "But what about the other princess? Will I be eating with her, too?" Mandoline feels a wave of sadness wash over her, but she keeps a straight face for the young boy.

"No, she's staying by herself for a little while," she answers quietly.

"Oh. I hope she's alright," Kristoff says.

"So do I." Mandoline sighs. They get to the kitchen and she is grateful to be able to change the subject.

After Kristoff's awe at the amount of food in the castle, she takes him on a full tour. He falls silent in the gallery as he looks at all the paintings, and she tells him that it's Princess Anna's favourite. She takes him out onto one of the balconies, which he gets excited about, and through the gardens, which he has next to no interest in. In the library, he shyly admits that he can't read. She promises that he'll get lessons with the princess and he'll make his way through every book in the library some day. He doesn't believe that he can, but he looks eager at the thought anyway.

Once he has been shown everywhere else, Mandoline brings Kristoff back to the second floor and into the unused bedroom beside Anna's.  
"Why are we in here? There's nothing interesting to look at," he says, confused.

"This is where you're going to be staying." Kristoff's eyes widen, and he looks around the room, at Mandoline, and then back again.

"_This_ is my room?" She nods. ""It's big enough for five people to sleep in!" He tries to drink in everything around him; the shiny wooden floor, the huge double bed, far too big for a boy his size, the empty bookshelves and wardrobe waiting to be filled.

"Well, it's just for you." She smiles down at him.

"How am I going to fill all this space? I don't have anything at all, only Sven," he says, looking over at the tall wardrobe.

"You're to be measured later so we can get you more clothes," Mandoline explains. He looks down at himself.

"What's wrong with these ones?"

"Nothing, dear, you just need more than one outfit." He is unconvinced but decides not to disagree. "There is also one more thing I'm meant to do with you this morning," she says after a moment.

"What?"

"I'm supposed to introduce you to Princess Anna." Kristoff raises his eyebrows.

"Now?" he asks, looking suddenly nervous.

"I think so. We haven't anything else to do."

"Oh, okay..." he says in a quiet voice.

He follows Mandoline out his door and towards Anna's. Before she knocks, she looks down to see if Kristoff is ready, and sees instead that he is running his hands through his hair, attempting to arrange it into some kind of order.

"What are you doing?" she whispers.

"She's a princess, I have to look nice for her," he replies, moving his hands down to straighten his jacket. Mandoline chuckles.

"You look fine," she tells him. Then she turns back to the door and knocks on it.


	4. Chapter 4

**Okay, first things first: MERRY CHRISTMAS, YOU BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE! I hope you enjoy this chapter! Also, in reply to a guest review: Kristoff will still know where to take Anna when her heart gets frozen because he's still seen the trolls heal her frozen head.**

**I GOT SQUISHY KRISTOFF AND ANNA FOR CHRISTMAS!**

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Frozen or its characters. I do, however, own the original characters who appear in the story, and the plot.**_

* * *

"Yes?" a small voice says from inside.

"It's Mandoline. I have someone here who'd like to meet you."

"Don't make her think -" Kristoff begins to protest before he is cut off.

"Can we come in?" Mandoline asks.

"Alright," Anna says. A moment later, the door opens, and a little, sad looking princess gazes curiously at Kristoff. "Who are you?"

"My name is Kristoff, Princess Anna. Um... Nice to meet you," he replies, holding out one of his hands. He has no idea how he is meant to act around her, or even whether or not she likes being called princess. She holds on to her door for a moment, looking warily at his hand, before finally taking it and shaking once.

"You're the first person who doesn't bow," she says.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" Kristoff bows hurriedly, nearly hitting the door with his head, and Anna laughs.

"No, that's okay. It's nice. And you're funny!" He smiles shyly at her.

"Kristoff is staying in the castle with you, now," Mandoline explains to Anna. The princess asks, of course, the most obvious question she can in the situation.

"Why?" Kristoff decides to answer himself.

"I sneaked in with my reindeer and I don't have anywhere else to go. No family." Anna stares at him for a moment before her mouth drops open in shock.

"You sneaked into the palace? And you have a _reindeer_?" Kristoff nods smugly. "Like Santa's?"

"Just like Santa's," he confirms, smiling. _I've impressed the princess! _"'Cept he doesn't fly," he adds as an afterthought.

"Can I see him?" she asks excitedly.

"Yeah!" Kristoff motions for her to follow him and begins running down the hallway. Anna runs behind him, laughing.

"Be careful, children!" Mandoline calls after them. "I suppose I'll see you later, then," she says, though they have run too far away to hear her. She smiles to herself as she goes to set up Kristoff's room. She's glad that Anna's so excited. She was miserable that morning, when Elsa shut herself into her own room. It will be good for her to have someone. And hopefully good for Kristoff, too.

* * *

Kristoff runs down the stairs and waits at the bottom for Anna, who has fallen behind somewhat.

"Wait for me, I'm coming!" she calls. She runs down the stairs and trips over the bottom step, falling knees first onto the floor. Kristoff immediately pulls her up.

"Are you alright?" he asks, concerned.

"I'm fine, it happens all the time," she tells him, brushing off her dress and giving him a smile. "C'mon, I want to see your reindeer!"

"This way, then," he says, taking her hand and pointing to the front doors. They run, albeit slightly slower, outside and towards the stable, where Kristoff jumps up to slide the bolt open. The two walk in quietly, not wanting to startle the animals. Once they are inside, Sven pops his head up out of the hay bale he had been lying in. He runs over to Kristoff as soon as he catches sight of him, nearly knocking the boy to the ground.

"Stop!" Kristoff laughs. "I brought the princess to meet you." Sven stops licking Kristoff's cheek to look over at Anna. She waves at him and giggles. Then he runs towards her and nuzzles his head against her side, causing her to laugh more.

"He's not normally that quick to be nice to people," Kristoff tells her. "I think he knows how important you are."

"I like him!" Anna says, petting Sven's nose. "What's his name?"

"Sven," Kristoff answers.

"Sven," Anna repeats. "It's a good name for a reindeer, I think." Kristoff smiles.

"I think so too."

"Is he staying here, like you are?" she asks. Kristoff nods.

"He's staying in here with the horses, I think."

"Where are you staying?"

"In the room beside yours." Anna's face brightens up.

"Yay!" she says, and pulls Kristoff into a hug.

"Um, why's that so good?" he asks, awkwardly returning her hug. He didn't expect her to be so affectionate.

"Because I'll have someone to play with all the time until Elsa comes out!"

"Oh," he says simply.

"Do you want to play in the garden with me until lunch?" Kristoff frowns.

"The garden was my least favourite bit of the tour. It's no fun," he says. Anna pulls away from the hug and looks up at him with a playful glint in her eye.

"You haven't seen all the secret hiding places," she whispers. Kristoff grins.

"There are hiding places?" Anna nods fervently and drags him all the way to the gardens by the hand.

One by one, she shows him every secret place she has found in the gardens. Some are too small for him to get into, and some are just high up in trees, but some are wonderful. His favourite is the bench-shaped hollow in a fallen tree, on the far end of the garden that isn't looked after anymore. It's surrounded by old, gnarled trees which lean towards it, and it's a spot completely invisible from anywhere in the castle. Kristoff and Anna sit there together, talking and laughing, until they hear someone calling them back inside for lunch.

They run inside, making sure nobody sees where they were hiding, and are led to the dining room. The table is a dark, shining wood, and far too big for them, both in height and length. It stretches from one end of the long room to the other. Anna is used to the occurrence by now, but Kristoff is not pleased about being given a cushion to sit on so he can get his arms above the table. Luckily, they are the only two at the table as they eat earlier than the adults, so nobody except Anna sees him that way.

"How many people fit at this table at once?" he asks her through a mouthful of soup.

"I don't know. I've never seen it full. But I think probably one hundred." Kristoff laughs.

"That might be a few too many," he says. Anna pouts and swallows her soup.

"I bet I could fit one hundred people at this table if I wanted to!"

"I hope you try one day, so I can see you lose the bet," he says, refilling his spoon.

"I will _not_ lose!" she counters, adamant.

"How are you even going to get that many people to come?"

"For, um... A wedding! Weddings are nice." Anna nods once with a smile on her face.

"There'd only be a wedding here if you or Elsa got married, and that's not going to happen for ages," Kristoff says, matter-of-factly.

"I'll have the whole kingdom in the palace when I get married, and more. Just you wait!"

The meal continues with more play arguments, as does the afternoon, once they've been let outside again. The two don't separate for anything more than bathroom breaks for the rest of the day, and they both whine when they're told to go to bed. Eventually, they go, but only when they're reminded that they can see each other again as soon as they get up in the morning.


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey all! I hope you had a great Christmas! :) This chapter's a bit shorter and kind of different, but it was one of my original ideas for this fic. So, enjoy! x**

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Frozen or its characters. I do, however, own the original characters who appear in the story, and the plot.**_

* * *

Elsa paces to and fro across her bedroom, towards the door and back again. She can't sleep; she's tried her absolute best but she simply can't, and she's desperate for someone to talk to. Anyone at all. But she knows she can't leave her room.

Two nights ago, she had pushed Anna away and told her to go back to sleep. Two nights ago, she would never have expected to find herself in the situation she's in now. And will be in, until she learns to control her powers. She looks around her walls, which are covered in small patches of ice here and there, from when control was the last thing she was capable of. She sits on the ground with her back against the door and lets her head fall into her hands. She'll never be able to stop this.

* * *

Kristoff sits up in his bed, rubbing his hands together to keep them warm. He's never slept in a bed like this before, certainly not in a room of his own. He's also never slept without Sven by his side. So far, he doesn't like it at all. How is he meant to sleep without the soothing sound of someone else's breathing? Or knowing that if he gets too cold, there's nobody there waiting to warm him up?

He gets off the bed and pulls his jacket on. He'll go for a walk, he thinks. Maybe it will tire him out enough to make him sleep properly. He opens the door as quietly as possible and steps out into the hall. It's darker out there, because there are no windows and the candles are blown out at night. The wooden floor is cold beneath his bare feet as he tiptoes down it, stopping when he reaches Anna's door. He lifts his hand up to knock before thinking better of it. If she were awake, she'd probably have come out herself, so he doesn't want to wake her up and make her lose sleep. Instead, he keeps walking until he comes to another door. It's white, with swirling patterns in different shades of blue, just about visible in the soft moonlight seeping into the corridor from his room. He knows instantly it must be Elsa's.

Without thinking about it properly, Kristoff knocks on the door. Elsa, on the other side, holds back a gasp. She wasn't expecting anyone else to be up so late.

"Hello?" Kristoff whispers. It's a voice she does not recognise, a child's voice, and her curiosity gets the better of her. This is someone to talk to, after all.

"Who's that?" she whispers back.

"I'm Kristoff. I - um, I live here," he stutters. He didn't think he'd get a reply.

"If you live here, why have I never met you before?" Elsa asks, confused.

"I only got here yesterday, and the King and Queen only said I should stay today." This confuses Elsa more. Her parents had said they were going to reduce staff and limit her contact with people, even if it meant some loved servants losing their jobs. Why would they take someone else in? A young boy, no less, who would probably be much more difficult to keep track of than staff. Not probably, in fact, definitely. He is already wandering, on his first night there.

Kristoff sits on the ground, pulling his knees into himself for warmth.

"You're wondering why," he says. Elsa nods before remembering that he can't see her.

"I am. Wouldn't you?"

"Yeah, I would." He decides to tell Elsa the truth. She deserves to know. "I'm here because I don't have a family, and because... I know."

Elsa can tell immediately from his tone exactly what he means. She swears she feels her heart stop, and her hands grow colder at the palms. She doesn't know if she can trust him. She has to make sure she hasn't jumped to an unreasonable conclusion.

"Know what?" she asks, trying to sound like she doesn't have any idea what he's talking about.

"I followed the ice here. Your ice." So she was right. That was exactly it. What if he tells someone? What if he tells Anna? Her palms begin to glow slightly as she worries, and she tightens them into fists.

"I - I," she begins. "Don't tell Anna!" It's the first thing she can think of to say to him. Kristoff, on the other side of the door, is taken aback.

"Of course I won't. I promised I wouldn't," he tells her, like it's the most obvious thing in the world. She lets out a breath she didn't realise she was holding and the cold in her hands dulls to a tingle.

"Thank you." Again, Kristoff is surprised by her reaction.

"Um, you're welcome," he says. "She's alright, you know. Princess Anna, I mean."

"She was knocking on my door all morning. I didn't know what to do," Elsa admits. She finds it's much easier to confess these things to someone she doesn't know very well, and to someone young. Someone who can't tell her what to do.

"She's nice to play with. But she falls down stairs," Kristoff says. Elsa laughs airily, which she hasn't done since locking herself in her room.

"I see you've met her, then."

"Mandoline introduced us this morning," he tells her. Elsa sighs.

"Mandoline's great. She's really lovely. I've known her my whole life, you know. She's always been around," she says sadly.

"Does she know about your powers?"

"Yes. She spent too much time around me not to know."

"Then can't I tell her to come and see you?" Elsa thinks about this for a moment. She hadn't considered it before. Then she smiles to herself, in her dark, empty room.

"Please do," she says.

"If I see her without Anna tomorrow, I'll ask," he promises. "I think she'd like to see you."

"I hope so." Kristoff yawns and rubs his eyes.

"I think I should go back to my room now," he says, standing up.

"Okay," Elsa replies, somewhat disappointed. "But will you do something else for me?"

"Of course."

"Make sure you help Anna up when she falls." Kristoff smiles.

"Already on it," he says. He is about to walk back to his room when he stops and turns towards the door again. "Princess Elsa? Is it okay if I come back again sometime?" Elsa feels a little warmer at the thought of having someone to talk to again, someone to take her mind off things.

"You can come back whenever you like, as long as you're alone," she says.

"Good. Sleep well," he replies, before making his way back to his bedroom.

"Goodnight," Elsa whispers. She hears his footsteps fade and gets back into her own bed, a small smile on her face.


	6. Chapter 6

**I'm so sorry guys, everything suddenly got really busy with family and whatnot! Today was the first day I got some free time so I wanted to write something for you. I apologise for its tardiness and quality, but here it is all the same..**

**Okay, I've been asked some questions which I feel I should answer, sooooo (sorry for the very long AN, you don't have to read it if you don't want to!):**

**I have no idea how long this fic will be, I'm awful at knowing that kind of thing. I've never finished a multichap before (not saying that to scare you, just being honest). I have ideas as to things that will happen after the events of the movie, if you're asking how long it's going to like, take place over...**

**This is Kristanna, that is not a secret! :P I do want Kristoff and Elsa to be cutie buddies, though, which is why I have stuff like I did last chapter. And because I don't want Elsa to be alone, I have an OC for her, but she won't be introduced until much later (I'm sorry, but Elsa is locked away for thirteen years, after all, so there's not much opportunity). So, yeah, there's a warning of sorts: there will be slash, so if that's not your scene, please don't be rude or offensive about it. Reading is your own choice. We're all entitled to our own opinions and I fully support people of all sexualities.**

**The rating... Well, good question. I tend to be pretty paranoid when it comes to rating my fics, so I don't know whether this will go up or not. Like, there are going to be kissing scenes, because I must since Kristanna, but I'm certainly not going further than that. Those sorts of themes make me uncomfortable :/**

**I think they're the important questions, I'm sorry if I forgot any! I'm also sorry that I'm awful at replying to reviews, I do really and truly appreciate every single one! Thank you guys for your continued support :) I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

**_Disclaimer: I do not own Frozen or its characters. I do, however, own the original characters who appear in the story, and the plot._**

* * *

After Kristoff has been seen by a tailor to be measured and fitted for new clothes, it is only a matter of days before the first sets arrive. Instantly, he hates them. They are too clean and new, and far too expensive looking for his taste. They are light green, like trees in the summer. Like Anna's, he realises. He prefers darker colours.

Once he has finished complaining to Mandoline, who is very patient with his mumbling as she dresses him, he decides not to look in the mirror for fear of turning his distaste into disgruntlement. Instead, he stomps out his door with his arms folded across his chest, scowling. Anna comes out of her room a moment later, rubbing her eyes tiredly until she catches sight of Kristoff.

"You look funny," she says to him, giggling. He glares at her.

"I know," he replies angrily. "It's not my fault. They made me put on new clothes."

"I like your old clothes better," Anna says, circling around him to get a proper look.

"So do I," Kristoff grunts.

"But these ones are okay. We match now! We can have a club!" She smiles at him, and his angry expression lightens up a bit.

"I guess," he says.

"And we can keep it a secret from everybody!"

"Keep what a secret?" Mandoline asks, approaching them.

"Nothing," Kristoff says, looking innocently at her.

"If we told you, it wouldn't be a secret anymore, see?" Anna explains.

"Yes, I see. Now, go on down to breakfast or you'll be late for your lessons," Mandoline says, ushering them towards the stairs. Kristoff frowns to himself as they make their way downstairs. He had forgotten he was starting lessons today. In his mind, they are just another opportunity to make a fool of himself.

Kristoff worries about lessons all through breakfast, while Anna talks about where their secret clubhouse should be and what things they should do as a club. He partakes in the conversation here and there, but she talks enough for two people and is excited enough not to notice his quietness.

A servant Kristoff does not know arrives to bring them to the library as soon as their dishes have been taken away. The walk is spent in silence until they reach the library doors and Anna leans over to whisper in Kristoff's ear.

"It's okay if you're not good, I'm not very good either. It's hard," she says, smiling reassuringly at him. He's surprised to find that this eases his conscience somewhat.

Anna takes her seat at the small table in the middle of the room as soon as they walk in, used to the routine. Kristoff follows, sitting in the chair beside her. He remembers seeing the table there the other day and wondering what it was used for. There had only been one chair then.

There are two small volumes lying on the table, one in front of each of them. Their teacher, Mr Roberts, introduces himself to Kristoff and then tells them to open their books. He asks Anna if she has been practicing, and she nods too quickly.

"Please read for us," Mr Roberts says in a monotone, which Kristoff is quickly learning is the only way their teacher speaks. Anna struggles through a slow "Once upon a time", mispronouncing the first word and being corrected twice before getting it. Kristoff spends the time examining the picture opposite the words in his book. It appears to be a princess or a queen, and he wonders if the children in schools learn from the same books or if they have characters more accessible to them. He'd much rather read about ice cutters and reindeer.

"Yes, very good," Mr Roberts drones after Anna has read two lines. He turns then to Kristoff, who is looking obediently up at him. "Would you read for me, please? I must see what level you are at." Kristoff looks back down at his book, at all the strange squiggly lines arranged into words and then sentences. His heart sinks. He can't make sense of a single one.

"I can't read, sir," he says quietly.

"Would you like to try?" the teacher asks, entirely disinterested in the sad tone Kristoff's voice has taken on.

"I can't, sir," Kristoff insists.

"Very well. We shall move on to writing." Mr Roberts takes their books and hands them quills and parchment. He places an inkwell between them. "The alphabet, please," he says. Anna dips her quill into the ink and sets to work. Kristoff also dips his quill into the inkwell and places it on the parchment, experimentally drawing a line, then a square and a circle. He continues to draw shapes before attempting to recreate some of the letters he can see Anna writing. He knows his scribbles don't mean anything, but he finds it interesting to watch the ink make patterns.

When he looks back over at Anna's page, Kristoff sees she has moved on to drawing two small, wobbly people. Her tongue sticks slightly out of the side of her mouth as she concentrates, drawing plaits on one of the people and short hair on the other. She gives them round smiles and writes letters above them, then she turns to Kristoff.

"They're us, see?" she says, smiling proudly. "It says our names. I think. I don't know how to write yours," she admits. Kristoff, with great effort, copies two of the letters onto his page and beams at her.

"What do they say?" he asks.

"That's 'A' and 'K'. For Anna and Kristoff," she explains. He looks at his page and tries to memorise the patterns those letters make. _Maybe lessons aren't so bad after all_, he thinks.

They have a break a few minutes after that before they start on numbers, and both of them take their sheets with them to put safely in their rooms. When they return to the library, Kristoff is no longer feeling so self conscious about his efforts.

The second half of their lesson goes much faster. Numbers, it turns out, are something Kristoff can work with easily. Mr Roberts says that as soon as he learns how to write them, he will be at a higher level than children his age normally are. This makes Kristoff smile to himself. He has never been properly good at anything before.

Due to Kristoff's new revelations, lunch time is a much happier affair than breakfast.

"I think our clubhouse should be the tree place you showed me," Kristoff suggests. Anna smiles.

"That's my favourite secret place!" she says. "We should bring out cushions. Or blankets. Just warm things, for when winter comes."

"We have to do it when people can't see us, though," he adds.

"We can do it when we're finished eating. People don't really watch now."

With that, they spend their afternoon sneaking things outside in any way they can. They keep cushions in their jackets and teddies behind their backs, and wear blankets like capes as they run across the garden. They visit Sven, who sniffs at Kristoff's strange new clothes, and Kristoff shares carrots with him. He laughs when Anna tells him how "icky" it is for him to share food with Sven, and even after ten minutes of him explaining and assuring she won't change her mind.

By the evening, they have a comfortable hideout in the garden. They can sit without getting muddy or cold, and they have been careful enough not to take a noticeable amount from either of their bedrooms.

Just before they go to sleep, Anna tells Kristoff she has one last idea for today. She runs into her bedroom to get her page from earlier, and tells Kristoff to do the same when she returns. He complies and then asks what her plan is.

"I want to show them to Elsa!" Anna says happily. Kristoff smiles and goes with her to Elsa's door, where Anna knocks. "Elsa? We were practicing writing in our lesson today, and look what we did!" Kristoff takes this as his cue to slip the pieces of paper under the door, so he takes Anna's and slides them both under. They don't get a reply, but on the other side of the door, Elsa picks up their sheets and smiles. She puts them away in a drawer in her desk, for safekeeping.


	7. Chapter 7

**Oh my gosh... This fic has 127 followers. One hundred and twenty seven. I can't even begin to tell you guys how amazing this makes me feel; I love you so much! Thank you all, for following, favouriting (let's pretend it's a word) and taking the time to give me your thoughts on my story. Wow... I'm so excited!**

**I'm really sorry that this chapter is so dull, I hate time skips so I wanted to condense the time a bit...**

**Yes, guys, of course I'll tell you when the slash is coming up. Thank you for being so polite even if you're not comfortable with it, it means a lot.**

**_Disclaimer: I do not own Frozen or its characters. I do, however, own the original characters who appear in the story, and the plot._**

* * *

After a week of lessons, Kristoff is able to write 'A' and 'K' without reference. After two weeks, he can write all the numbers by himself, though they sometimes turn out backwards, and he mixes up seven and one. Three weeks on and he can recognise letters and almost read some, but he is no closer to reading words. He is, however, settling into the life in the castle quite well. He has only been brave enough to visit Elsa once more since their first conversation through the door, and he has not yet told Mandoline to go and see her. He gets the feeling Mandoline already has.

By the time Kristoff can write the alphabet in its entirety, he has decided that he's going to write letters to slip under Elsa's door. It's a nice thing to do, he thinks, and it's easier than sneaking down the corridor in the middle of the night to talk to her. After all, he's in a palace, and he's not royal himself. He should stick to the rules – except for the rules involving stealing food from the kitchen. He has to be sure that Sven is getting enough carrots, and he _is_ the only one who knows how many that should be. Still, that doesn't really count as breaking the rules because he's helping someone else who lives in the palace.

With Kristoff's time in the palace comes bonding with Anna, and he's beginning to consider himself an expert when it comes to the princess. He knows exactly what she loves and what she can't stand, her favourite things to do, her favourite hiding places (so he knows where to look for her when she's sulking), and most importantly, how to cheer her up when she's feeling sad. It admittedly isn't difficult, because she's such an excitable child, and usually asking for chocolate after dinner does the trick, if they get it. But he prides himself in knowing all the small things about her, because he doesn't suppose many other people know them.

It's not until about his third month at the palace that Kristoff notices mentions of Elsa slowly fading out, until the people who mention her get odd glances that tell them to be quiet. Anna is soon the only person who talks about her, or at the very least the only person who talks about her while keeping a smile on her face. Along with this he notices the number of staff slowly decreasing, and remembers what the King said about limiting Elsa's contact with people. It's around then that he realises Elsa's situation is more serious than he'd considered, and that Anna doesn't understand it at all but nobody has had the heart to tell her. Because he feels she ought to know, he tries to tell her one day.

They are sitting in their secret clubhouse as Anna talks about what she wants to do for her birthday in two weeks' time when he decides he should say something. Her plans mostly involve Elsa coming out of her room, and he's sensible enough to know that the chances of that happening are slim.

"Anna, I think maybe it would be better if it's just us two on your birthday," he says gently, not looking her in the eye. He's terrified of upsetting her, but he thinks she has a right to know. It's her sister, after all. When he looks up at Anna, she is frowning.

"Why?" she asks. "I always have my party with Elsa. I think you'll like her, she's really fun!"

"I don't mean I won't like her, I just think that maybe she wants to be alone," Kristoff replies. As he says this, he frowns. He doesn't suppose she _wants_ to be alone at all, she just has to be.

"No, she doesn't. I know she wants to come out and play with me." Anna's voice has gotten higher and Kristoff realises he's never had an actual argument with her, nor does he want to.

"She hasn't been out for ages, Anna. Months."

"I know. I was counting. But she's going to come out for my birthday, she has to!" Anna's eyes begin to tear up, and instinctively Kristoff goes to sit beside her and wraps his arm around her shoulders.

"Please don't cry! I just wanted to say because I don't want you to be sad on your birthday," he says with even less confidence than before. Anna pushes his arm away.

"You're wrong. Elsa _is_ going to be there for my birthday."

"Anna -"

"No! You're wrong!" Anna wipes a tear from her cheek and runs towards the castle. Even though he knows where she'll be hiding, Kristoff decides it's best if he leaves her be.

Instead, he goes somewhere he knows he probably shouldn't, and knocks on a white door covered in swirling blue. Although it's too late, he looks around the hallways after he's done so. It's thankfully empty.

"Elsa? Can I talk to you for a minute?" he whispers, hoping she can hear him.

"Of course you can," Elsa answers from behind the door. Kristoff takes a deep breath and then his thoughts come out in a rush.

"Anna was talking about her birthday and how she was going to be with you so I told her that you probably wouldn't come out and then she got really sad and now she's crying somewhere and it's my fault," he gushes. There is silence for a few moments before Elsa speaks again.

"Let her have your dessert as an apology," she suggests, trying to focus on cheering Anna up rather than the fact that she was part of the reason for the upset. Kristoff sighs.

"I will," he says. "I... I actually came here to ask if there was any chance you could come out, maybe, just for that day," he admits nervously.

"I wish I could," Elsa replies sadly. "I really do. But I can't. I - can't put Anna in danger again." Kristoff's heart sinks, and he regrets having brought it up at all.

"I was afraid you'd say that."


End file.
